Zuffa, LLC awarded legal victory over UFC Hall-of-Famer Ken Shamrock

While the UFC Hall-of-Famer has found it difficult to pick up a victory in the cage over the past few years, today “The World’s Most Dangerous Man” was defeated in a court of law.

According to an official UFC statement, the promotion’s parent company, Zuffa, LLC, was today awarded a victory in a Las Vegas court in a contract violation claim filed in April 2008 by Shamrock.

In the complaint, Shamrock alleged “Zuffa had violated certain contractual provisions of his final fight agreement,” and he was “demanding several hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation he claimed was due and owing from the UFC.”

Following a trial, the court ruled in Zuffa’s favor via a 16-page written decision that stated, according to today’s release, “that Zuffa did not breach the contract, that the contract should be interpreted in manner advocated by Zuffa, and that, in any event, Shamrock and his attorney/agent Rod Donohoo waived any purported breach by Zuffa.”

The UFC cut Shamrock following an October 2006 loss to Tito Ortiz. The result was Shamrock’s third-straight UFC loss, but the longtime veteran later claimed the organization had violated his contract by releasing him despite having one fight remaining on the deal.

“Zuffa has issued a clear directive that we are to pursue every legal remedy to ensure that the UFC’s contracts are scrupulously honored and defended,” Campbell and Williams stated. “The resulting judgment in this case is just one more example of the UFC’s resolve to vigorously vindicate its contractual rights in the courts.”

Campbell and Williams also stated they expect further action in the matter as they seek to recover the costs of the recent trial.

“The UFC has a clear and unambiguous attorney fee clause in all of its contracts with fighters to the effect, that in the event a fighter loses any contractual challenge in court, that fighter will be responsible for paying our fees,” Campbell and Williams stated. “Accordingly, we will be filing a motion to seek recovery of all of our expenses and fees which were occasioned by this lawsuit.”

Shamrock fought in the very first UFC event in 1993 and defeated striker Patrick Smith before falling to Royce Gracie in the evening’s tournament semifinals. Shamrock fought frequently for the organization through 1996, earning a 6-2-2 record in the UFC while also winning the UFC Superfight Championship.

Shamrock fought five more times for the UFC between 2002 and his release in 2006.

From Our Partners

The Latest

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.